


Ways of Initiation

by psychicdreamsandangelwings



Series: The Things You Fight For [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Daryl is a badass, Do I even need to tag that, Fluff, M/M, Police Officer Rick, Rick and Daryl are super cute, Rick worries like always, Superhero Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicdreamsandangelwings/pseuds/psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Vector’s stance goes from playful to murderous in a matter of seconds. “I’m not Eugene anymore,” he says, taking a few steps closer. “He died in that explosion. I am Dr. Vector, greatest supervillain to ever live.” His hands ignite again, fire blazing white hot, and flames shoot from his hands heading straight towards Daryl.</p><p>Or the one where Daryl's a superhero and Rick's his worried boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ways of Initiation

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I have no idea where the hell this came from. We'll just see how it goes.

“This is a mess,” Rick says as he steps out of his police car. He and his partner have been called in as backup for a bank robbery gone wrong. It had started off like any other crime, criminals always think they've planned everything out perfectly and aren't going to get caught. However, the police had shown up before the robbers could make their getaway and it had quickly turned into a hostage situation.

“Tell me about it,” Kevin, Rick’s partner, says as he comes around from the other side of the car to stand next to him. Previous responders have already closed off the space directly in front of the bank and there’s pedestrians crowded around the caution tape, trying to get a glimpse of the action. Rick watches as a news van pulls up, dispelling an energetic reporter and cameraman. Just what they need, more media attention. He wishes everyone would just go away, all they're going to do is cause even more problems for them, but he knows that’s not going to happen.

Rick and Kevin head towards the roped off area the police are using as a make shift headquarters. They're almost there when a deafening sound roars overhead, it almost sounds like he's standing beside a supersonic jet as it takes off, and Rick’s head snaps up instantly. He recognizes that sound, probably would never forget it, and he hopes to God he’s wrong. The situation is already bad enough, his arrival is the last thing they need right now. But of course, fate has a way of fucking up everyone’s day and producing the absolute worst situation possible. Figures.

Sure enough, Rick recognizes the familiar form of Dr. Vector as he flies overhead and Rick can’t help but curse under his breath. The second he shows up, Rick knows shit’s about to hit the fan. A bank robbery resulting in a hostage situation is one thing, a bank robbery resulting in a hostage situation that is really just a cover up for something much more sinister is an entirely different thing.

Dr. Vector’s presence complicates things. There’s no way to be sure if he was initially behind the bank robbery, but it doesn't matter. Either way Rick knows he’s gonna take advantage of the situation. He’ll take out the hostages at the bank, maybe even a few of the police officers and innocent bystanders standing outside, before he moves on to the rest of the city. He won’t stop until it’s burnt to the ground, that much Rick is certain of.

The people surrounding the perimeter do what most people would do when a psychotic supervillain makes his appearance, they stand in shock and point up at the sky like starstruck superfans. Rick can see a few people pulling out cameras, looking for something that could go viral and get them their fifteen minutes of fame, and all he wants to do is bash their heads together for being so freaking stupid. They should all be running in the other direction, Dr. Vector is an absolutely unpredictable villain and there’s no telling what he’ll do, not acting like they've got a front row seat to the next action movie. Some people do the right thing and take off running, but that portion is significantly smaller than the other idiots who stand their hoping to see something cool.

It’s been four months since Dr. Vector had broken out of prison and no one has so much as seen a glimpse of him. It’s not easy, as the police have now been made aware of, to track down a genius with superpowers who doesn't want to be found. Dr. Vector has the smarts and the money to remain completely incognito, something that’s really starting to tick off the authorities.

They’d developed a task force a week after Dr. Vector had escaped, their only priority being to track down the genetically altered villain. Rick had volunteered right away, mainly because he knew Daryl would want to get involved some way. If Rick was a part of the team he could enlist Daryl’s help without anyone knowing it, thus keeping his true identity from being compromised.

The team hadn't stopped searching for him, but after four months some people had started to believe Dr. Vector was just going to remain in hiding. Rick didn’t believe it for one second though, Dr. Vector wasn't exactly the type of person to just forget his grudges. Turns out Rick's right, Dr. Vector has been busy in the four months he’s been gone, no doubt perfecting his master plan, and now he’s ready to wreak havoc on the citizens of Jexer.

Rick just wished dealing with villains was as easy as it looked in the movies. If this were a movie the good guys would prevail with little to no loss and the bad guys would be obliterated. This isn't a movie though, its real life and Dr. Vector isn’t one to make mistakes. He’s way too meticulous and careful to accidentally reveal everything he’s got planned or make some sort of unexpected blunder that’ll lead to his capture. This isn't a glorified movie portrayal of Avengers, its life and life has a way of fucking with everyone in the most inconvenient of ways.

The only thing that really surprises Rick is that it’s taken Dr. Vector this long to make his debut reappearance. The fact that he’s been MIA for four months, with absolutely nothing to clue anyone in to what his master plan is, worries Rick more than anything. A lot can happen in four months and there is no telling what the man is capable of.

What exactly had caused a small portion of Jexer to develop superpowers still isn't clear, all the public was told was that a science experiment had gone horribly wrong at P.A.S.S.I.O.N science facility on the edge of town. There’d been an explosion of dastardly proportions, resulting in massive waves of who knows what resonating throughout the town. Some people, it seems, were directly affected by the explosion. Whatever the scientists there had been working on gave some people superpowers, which has done nothing but give the police station one giant headache.

It's hard to tell how many people were actually affected by the explosion. There’d only been a few cases of people with superpowers popping up throughout the town, whether that was because only a small portion of Jexer had been affected or because most of those who were affected don’t want to come forward they’d probably never know. A few, like Crossbow and Paladin, had chosen to use their newfound powers for good. Others, on the other hand, liked to use them for activities with questionable legality.

That’s where Dr. Vector came in. Why the hell he called himself Dr. Vector Rick would never know, he wasn't a doctor nor was his name Vector. To him it seemed ridiculous to be calling him anything, acknowledging his name was only going to stroke his ego, but Rick had gotten tired of saying “that one guy with all the money who plans on destroying everything” so he’d finally given in and started calling him Dr. Vector.

As far as Rick knew, Dr. Vector had been the lead scientist of the top secret experiment that had led to the science facility exploding. Some people suspected he sabotaged the entire thing, after all he was in charge of the entire operation and has gained a lot from the explosion, in hopes that something like this would happen. Others thought the experiment had something to do with creating super-humans, which would explain how some people had ended up with superpowers after the explosion, and that that was the reason why the science facility still refused to say what they had been working on. But these theories were nothing but hearsay with no evidence to back them up. Honestly, Rick doesn't care what the real story is. All he wants is to take down Dr. Vector and make his city a safer place.

Rick sighs heavily and tries to come up with a plan, brain scheming as quickly as he could. Dr. Vector lands in front of the bank, facing the crowd outside. He looks calm and collected as he stands there, happy looking smile gracing his features, and Rick’s danger level rises instantaneously. Dr. Vector was at his most unpredictable when he acted like he was nothing but a happy go lucky civilian, there was no telling what was about to happen. 

“Aw, the city of Jexer,” Dr. Vector says, holding out his hands in a welcoming manner. “Did you miss me?”

The crowd is dead silent, not sure how they’re supposed to react, and Rick can see out of the corner of his eye that more people are slowly backing away from the situation. It’s not everybody, but it’s something and it helps to calm Rick’s nerves. He wants to scream at the others to run, but he knows that’ll just get Dr. Vector’s attention and that’s the last thing that Rick wants right now.

“No?” Dr. Vector says, tone taking on a sad note. “That’s too bad, ‘cause I sure as hell missed you.” Only seconds after the words escape his lips, Dr. Vector’s hands erupt into flames and he aims them directly at the police officers. Rick ducks behind the nearest car, just barely missing being turned into a burnt crisp as a fire ball whizzes by him.

Suddenly there’s a loud swoosh overhead and Rick looks up to see Crossbow swooping through the sky. Daryl absolutely despises the name Crossbow, probably more than he hates most things, mainly because he sees the name as a representation of his superhero status and Daryl hates being referred to as a superhero, no matter how many times Rick tells him that’s exactly what he is. Daryl’s got this thing about being recognized for what he does, he hates having all the attention on him, and usually makes his escape directly after he saves the day.

Daryl had refused to give himself a name, he wanted to remain completely inconspicuous and to him that meant remaining nameless. But an online blog had started calling him Crossbow because of his weapon of choice, and despite Daryl’s protests as Crossbow, the media had taken to using the name when they reported on him. Daryl had tried to stop it the first month, but eventually he had gotten tired of fighting and had given in.

Daryl lands in front of Dr. Vector, skin tight leather suit reflecting in the hot sun overhead. Daryl had refused to wear it the first time Rick had presented it to him, to him it looked too much like a super suit and Daryl didn’t want one, but after constant pestering he had finally given in. The suit didn’t give him much protection, but it provided enough to satisfy Rick’s protective urge. Plus, it helped conceal his identity. Before, Daryl was only using his leather angel wing vest and a cheap mask to conceal his identity. He still used the vest, but Rick had gotten Daryl to use a more expensive mask that is better at concealing his identity.

Rick’ll admit, he’s actually happy Daryl still uses that vest to complete his superhero look. It looks good on him and he’s had some of the best sex in his life while Daryl’s wearing that vest of his. Who knew seeing the man he loves in nothing but a leather vest could be such a turn on for him.

“Crossbow,” Dr. Vector says, lips twitching into an evil smirk that makes Rick’s blood run cold. He’s proud of Daryl, so fucking proud of the man he loves, but every time he watches Daryl put himself in danger to protect the lives of innocents he’s hit with fear he’s never experienced any other time in his life. Daryl risks his life every day, and it drives Rick nearly insane with a worry. All he wants at the end of the day is for Daryl to come home in one piece.

“Eugene,” Daryl says, using Dr. Vector’s real name. All that’s gonna do is anger him even more, but Rick can see instantly what he’s doing. Angering Dr. Vector will bring his attention to Daryl, effectively getting it off of everyone else. Rick wants to strangle him, people don’t provoke Dr. Vector without getting the brunt of his power, but then he sees a flicker of silver movement to the right and realizes Daryl knows it’s there. This is all just part of the plan, hopefully it'll work.

Dr. Vector’s stance goes from playful to murderous in a matter of seconds. “I’m not Eugene anymore,” he says, taking a few steps closer. “He died in that explosion. I am Dr. Vector, greatest supervillain to ever live.” His hands ignite again, fire blazing white hot, and flames shoot from his hands heading straight towards Daryl.

Rick fights back a scream as the air around Daryl ignites in flames. The suit he’s wearing is specifically designed to help protect him against all elements, but he knows for sure it’s not going to protect him from this. The flames stream from Dr. Vector’s hands for a few seconds and his eyes get this crazed look as a manic laugh escapes him.

Everyone’s mouths are dropped open in shock. Rick’s heart is pounding so hard he can feel it in his ears, and he has to physically hold himself back from running towards Daryl. That would do nothing but get him killed. He hopes, prays, that the flicker he’d seen earlier was what he thought it was, because right now that’s the only thing that’s going to save his life.

Dr. Vector keeps the flames up for ten seconds before he stops, letting them die out. His smile and his eyes are wide, his entire body screaming crazed psychopath. Rick’s never seen him look like this before and he knows it’s just going to make everything much worse.

When the flames stop Rick can sense that everyone thinks they’re only going to see a pile of ash. The crowd stares on, in shocked silence, as the smoke clears and Paladin appears stretched out around Daryl like a bubble. Rick’s heart stops pounding and a smile breaks out across his face. The flicker he’d seen earlier had to have been Paladin’s invisible form, just waiting to jump in when need. Paladin has the power of invisibility, as well as an indestructible body that can stretch at will.

Rick catches movement out of the corner of his eye and his gaze swoops towards the bank. The front of the building is nothing but glass and he turns his head just in time to see Jumper, the female superhero who has the power of teleportation, disappear with the last of the hostages. Everyone’s attention, even the bank robbers who had still had twenty hostages inside, had been completely focused on what Daryl and Dr. Vector were doing outside, giving Jumper the opportunity to rescue the hostages. Daryl’s confrontation was nothing but a planned diversion.

Dr. Vector’s jaw drops in confusion, he’s so stunned he doesn't see what happens next. After making sure all the hostages inside the bank are safe, Jumper appears behind Dr. Vector and wraps her arms around him. The two of them disappear, reappearing two hundred yards away in an empty clearing that's completely closed off on three sides. Dr. Vector couldn't hurt any of the officers or bystanders from all the way over there, and Rick knows that's exactly why Jumper had taken him there. Daryl grabs hold of Paladin and takes off into the air, flying furiously after the two of them. Knowing that this entire situation was planned makes Rick feel better, but he knows Daryl's not out of a danger yet and he can't help but worry for him.

Instantly the police jump into action, taking advantage of the change in direction the superheroes had provided them. Three officers take off inside after the bank robbers, easily subduing them in a matter of seconds now that there's no hostages to use as collateral. Rick forces himself not to get too caught up in the fight, Daryl’s got his job to do and he’s got his job to do. He, Kevin, and the rest of the police officers get to work on setting up a safety perimeter, making sure nobody can get anywhere near the fight. By now there’s multiple news stations trying to get their reporters in on the action happening just a couple hundred feet away, and Rick’s finding it hard to keep them out of the way.

Fifteen minutes later, the fight looks like it’s coming to an end. It’s hard to see the details of what’s going on from so far away and the bodies are moving so quickly it’s hard to make out who’s who. Suddenly, there’s a loud popping noise near them. Jumper appears, winded and banged up but for the most part okay, and drops a subdued Dr. Vector in front of the police. He’s banged up and unconscious, with his hands cuffed behind his back, but he’s obviously still alive.

“Try to keep him in custody this time, he’s a pain in the ass to subdue,” Jumper says, before she disappears with another loud pop. The reporters for the news stations go crazy, trying to find any glimpse of her, but she’s gone almost as fast as she disappears. Rick glances over at the clearing and realizes Daryl and Paladin are also gone, disappearing before any news reporters could get a hold of them.

The reporters are pissed they missed the chance to interview the superheroes responsible, but their cameras focus on the police officers on the scene as they try and get good footage of Dr. Vector subdued. The bystanders who had their phones out, recording as much as they possibly could, eagerly play back their footage hoping they've got enough to go viral. The rest of the bystanders erupt in excited chatter, and Rick sighs. This is gonna be one hell of a mess to clean up.

* * *

 

By the time Rick makes it home he’s absolutely exhausted. Getting the reporters to leave the police alone long enough so that they could get Dr. Vector adequately locked up was harder than it should have been, something that was only made worse by the bystanders who persistently tried to get selfies with the villain before he was dragged to the car. By the time they’d gotten Dr. Vector booked and looked away, Rick was ready to pull his hair out he was so frustrated.

No matter how hard Rick thinks his day's been, he knows Daryl’s has been ten times worse. It’s hard for Daryl to juggle the responsibility he’s got on his shoulders, and sometimes it takes a huge toll on him. He does his best to protect everyone in the town while running his own repair shop and trying to make time for him and the kids, and the pressure can get to him.

Daryl’s in the kitchen when Rick gets home from work, going through the cupboards as he tries to figure out what to make for dinner. He’s changed out of his super suit, but he’s still wearing his vest over a sleeveless t-shirt. “Hey angel,” Rick says, teasing smirk on his face as he comes up behind him. He wraps his arms around Daryl’s waist and presses his lips against the back of Daryl’s neck, making him shiver.

Daryl’s face goes bright red from embarrassment and he ducks his head to hide his slowly reddening cheeks. Daryl claims to hate the name, but Rick’s willing to take the chance of angering the man if it meant he got to see Daryl all flustered, something that he doesn't get to see nearly often enough. He loves it when Daryl’s cheeks heat up and he gets embarrassed.

Besides, he knows Daryl secretly likes being called angel. It makes him feel naïve and innocent, which is a surprise turn on for the superhero. The first time Rick had said it to him, it was a spur of the moment ordeal while they were having sex. The word had slipped out of Rick’s mouth before he could stop it and Daryl came harder than Rick had ever seen him only seconds after the word had escaped his lips

“‘m no angel,” he says, shrugging out of Rick’s embrace. He turns around, trying to sneak past Rick, but Rick doesn't let him. Instead he presses Daryl against the cabinet, slotting his knee between Daryl’s thighs as his body leans up against him.

“Sure you are,” Rick says, teasing tone to his voice, and he leans forward to steal a kiss. Rick sighs and rests his face against Daryl’s collarbone, trying to reassure his protective side that Daryl was indeed okay. Daryl’s arms come up to wrap around Rick, resting on his lower back.

“You scared me today,” Rick says, voice soft as his tone switches from playful to serious. “I wasn't impressed with the stunt you pulled.”

“It all worked out in the end,” Daryl says, hands smoothing up Rick’s back to keep him calm. “Just like it was supposed to.”

Rick doesn't say anything, knows it’s not gonna help. Every time Daryl goes out and faces off with some supervillain, he can’t help the anxiety that spreads through him. He always comes back with injuries, cuts and bruises and scorch marks, and it’s very possible that one of these days he’s not going to come back to him.

Daryl doesn't say anything, just lets Rick rest against him. He knows that Rick needs this sometimes, reassurance that Daryl is indeed safe and sound and okay, and he’d never deny him the opportunity to get the reassurance he needs.

“How about we order pizza,” Daryl says, lifting Rick’s face so he’s looking up at him, “and watch movies until we can’t keep our eyes open anymore. Just you and me, no other distractions.”

“What about the kids?” Rick asks.

“Carol agreed to watch them, Judith and Carl are gonna spend the night over at her place,” Daryl says, hand smoothing through Rick’s hair.

“‘Kay.” Rick pulls away from Daryl. “Come on angel,” he says, holding out his hand for Daryl to take, teasing tone back in his voice.

“Damn it Rick,” Daryl says, face heating up again just the way Rick likes. “I’m not an angel.”

“No,” Rick says, “you’re definitely my angel.”

**Author's Note:**

> This entire thing came out of nowhere and I'm not even sure if I should have published it. I had no idea what the hell I was doing throughout the entire thing, but I think it kind of came together in the end and I actually kind of like it. 
> 
> Jexer is not a real town, as far as I know it's not even a real word, and I just pulled the name out of thin air. It's pretty easy to see that I suck at coming up with superhero names, but I had to do something so names like Paladin and Jumper happened. I don't name superheroes on a daily basis okay, don't judge me. 
> 
> Despite the cheesiness and the horrible superhero names, I actually ended up kind of liking this. I might even write more stuff with Daryl as a superhero, we'll see.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed.


End file.
